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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.

SUMMARY: This quotation is a summary of the teachings of Orpheus as understood by the Christian chronicler John Malalas (Ἰωάννης Μαλάλας, 491-578 CE).

233. (76) Χρονογραφία του Ἰωάννου Μαλάλα IV 91 p. 74 Dind. ~ Georg. Cedrin. Histor. compend. I 103 Bekk., v. etiam Suid. s.:

Ὀρφεύς. τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώ |^{75 Dind.} πων γένος εἶπεν (sc. ὁ Ὀρφεύς) ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ πλασθέντα ἐκ γῆς καὶ ψυχὴν ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ λαβόντα λογικήν, καθὼς Μωσῆς ὁ πάνσοφος ἐξέθετο ταῦτα. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἐν τῆι αὐτοῦ βίβλωι συνέταξεν ὅτι διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν τριῶν ὀνομάτων, μιᾶς δὲ θεότητος, τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὰ πάντα (v. fr. 167 ss.). περὶ δὲ τοῦ ταλαιπώρου γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ αὐτὸς Ὀρφεὺς ἐξέθετο ποιητικῶς στίχους πολλούς, ὧν μέρος εἰσὶν οὗτοι.

θῆρές τε οἰωνοί τε βροτῶν τ’ ἀλιτήρια φῦλα, ἑρμηνεία· θηρία, ὄρνεά τε, τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ καταναλισκόμενα ἔθνη·

ἄχθεα γῆς, εἴδωλα τετυγμένα, μὴ διὰ μηδὲν ἑρμηνεία. τὸ βάρος τῆς γῆς, εἶδος κατεσκευασμένον, μηδὲ διὰ τί ἐγεννήθησαν μηδὲ διὰ τί ἀποθνήσκουσιν

εἰδότες, οὔτε κακοῖο προσερχομένοιο νοῆσαι γινώσκοντες. ἑρμηνεία· οὔτε κακοῦ ἐρχομένου κατ’ αὐτῶν αἰσθανόμενοι

φράδμονες, οὔτε ποῖον μάλ’ ἀποστρέψαι κακότητος ἀσφαλίσασθαι, οὔτε ἀπὸ μακρόθεν πολὺ ἀποστρέψαι ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ

οὔτ’ ἀγαθοῦ παρεόντος ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ εἶρξαι οὔτε ἀγαθοῦ ἐρχομένου ὑποστρέψαι ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ κρατῆσαι καλὸν·

ἴδριες, ἀλλὰ μάτην ἀδαήμονες, ἀπρονόητοι.

ἔμπειροι. ἑρμηνεία. ἀλλ’ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἅμα ἀμαθεστάτως φέρονται, μηδὲν προεννοούμενοι. καὶ ἄλλους δὲ πολλοὺς στίχους ἐξέθετο ὁ αὐτὸς σοφώτατος Ὀρφεύς. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐξέθετο ὁ σοφώτατος Τιμόθεος χρονογράφος (test. nr. 21), λέγων τὸν αὐτὸν Ὀρφέα πρὸ τοσούτων χρόνων εἰπόντα τριάδα ὁμοούσιον δημιουργῆσαι τὰ πάντα.

“Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) said that the race of man was formed by the same God, from earth, taking a reasoning soul from Him, just as wise Moses set forth these things. For Orpheus in his book, arranging things such that, through three names, but one divine nature, all things came to be, and that this God is everything (see fragment 167 ss.). Concerning the suffering race of men, Orphéfs wrote many lines of poetry, some portion of which are as follows:

‘Beasts and birds and sinful races of mortals, explained thus: wild animals, and birds, consuming the tribes of men.

‘(Men are) the burdens of the earth, created forms, but not through having any understanding; (they are) the misery of the earth, fitted out with form, but not knowing why they were born or why they die.

‘They had knowledge of coming evil and were not perceiving it. Explanation: not perceiving the evil coming towards them;

‘neither sensible of what to actually avoid to make them safe from wickedness, nor to always reject evil,

‘nor when near the good, to secure it, nor when good comes, to turn away from evil and take possession of the beautiful;

‘these the experienced, but foolishly ignorant, without foresight.’

“Experienced. Explanation: but they are borne along with the utmost ignorance, as if met by chance, not considering consequences. And learned Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) expounded many other verses. The erudite chronicler (test. nr. 21) Timóthæos (Τιμόθεος), who disclosed all this, related that Orphéfs himself, before such great times, said that a consubstantial triad fabricated all things.”

(trans. by the author)

Compare to III. Μαρτύρ. τῆς Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη 11 p. 52 Viteau:

ὃν δ’ ἔφης (sc. ὁ τῶν ρητόρων ἡγούμενος) Ὀρφέα καὶ μάλα τὴν |^{53 Vit.} ὑμῶν τῶν τούτους (sc. τοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων μεγάλους θεοὺς) σεβομένων ἐλέγχει παράνοιαν. έν ἧι γὰρ βίβλωι τὴν αὐτοῦ θεογονίαν, ὡς ἔφης, καὶ κόσμου κτίσιν ἐξέθετο, ἐν αὐτῆι καὶ περὶ τῆς ὑμῶν οὕτω καθυπεσήμανεν ματαιότητος· οὔτε κακοῖς προσερχόμενοι νοῆσαι φῶτες οὔτε ποιὸν μάλα προτρέψαι κακότητος ἔχουσιν.

“And you were speaking of Orpheus (that is, of the leading rhetorician) --- the folly of you, blameworthy, for worshiping these (namely, the great Gods of the Hellenes). For in the book where he expounded his theogony, so you were saying, and the creation of the world, he also intimated in this manner concerning your folly: “Mortals, when coming upon evils, neither understand it, nor which bad quality they were well persuaded to refrain from.”

(trans. by the author)

Herm. XXXII vs. 6; Lobeck I 580; Bentley Epist. ad Mill. Opusc. philol. Lips. 1781, 457; Zeller Zeitschr. wiss. Theol. XLII 1899, 236 = Kl. Schr. II 156.

The Orphic imitates the words of Dîmítîr (Δημήτηρ) to Mætáneira (Μετάνειρα) [so says Kern] from Ὁμηρικὸς Ὕμνος 1.256 Εις Διώνυσον:

νήϊδες ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἀφράδμονες οὔτ᾽ ἀγαθοῖο

αἶσαν ἐπερχομένου προγνώμεναι οὔτε κακοῖο.

“Witless are you mortals and dull to foresee your lot, whether of good or evil, that comes upon you.”

(trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914)

For verse 1 compare to Περὶ φύσεως τοῦ Ἐμπεδοκλέους τμῆμα 21 στίχος 11 (Diels I³ 233, 11):

θῆρες τ’ οἰωνοί τε καὶ ὑδατοθρέμμονες ἰχθῦς

“beasts and birds and fish that live in the water.”

And Καθαρμοὶ τοῦ Ἐμπεδοκλέους (“Purifications”) τμῆμα 130 στίχος 2 (Diels I3 273, 3):

θῆρες τ’ οἰωνοί τε, φιλοφροσύνη τε δεδήει

“beasts and birds and friendliness glowed,”

Kern Arch. Gesch. Philos. I 1888, 501. 505.

For verse 2 s. compare to Pythagoreorum Aureum Carmen 55 p. 207 Nauck:

τλήμονας, οἵτ’ ἀγαθῶν πέλας ὄντων οὔτ’ ἐσορῶσιν οὔτε κλύουσι, λύσιν δὲ κακῶν παῦροι συνίσασιν.

“Miserable (men), who, when the good things are near, they neither see nor hear, and few know deliverance from evils.”

(trans. by the author)

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.

PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

SPELLING: HellenicGods.org uses the Reuchlinian method of pronouncing ancient Greek, the system preferred by scholars from Greece itself. An approach was developed to enable the student to easily approximate the Greek words. Consequently, the way we spell words is unique, as this method of transliteration is exclusive to this website. For more information, visit these three pages:

Pronunciation of Ancient Greek

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Pronouncing the Names of the Gods in Hellenismos

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